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Algerians in the United Kingdom

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Algerians in the United Kingdom
Total population
Algerian-born residents
10,670 (2001 Census figure)
Other population estimates
25,000 - 30,000 (ICAR 2005 estimate)
40,000 (Daily Telegraph 2003 estimate)

0.05% of the UK's population
Regions with significant populations
Greater London, Birmingham, Manchester
Languages
Arabic, Berber, British English, French
Religion
Predominantly Sunni Islam

Algerians in the United Kingdom are residents of the UK with ancestry from Algeria. They include Algerian-born immigrants and their British-born descendants.

Background

According to the Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees (ICAR), the UK's Algerian population is not well known or understood by the wider community.[1] The number of Algerians was small until the early 1990s, since when it has increased, partly as a result of the Algerian Civil War of 1991 to 2002. However, the population remains small in comparison with other, more well-established refugee groups.[1] ICAR also argue that "there is little sense of a unified 'community'" of Algerians in the UK and that there is some degree of mutual suspicion amongst British Algerians.[1]

Demographics

Population

According to the 2001 UK Census there were 10,670 Algerian born people residing in the country, which constituted the sixth largest Arab and kabyles immigrant group and the seventy fourth largest overall immigrant group.[2] Recent estimates for the number of Algerians in the UK including their British-born descendants vary, The Guardian has put the figure at 40,000 (the same source also believes that many entered the country illegally on fake Spanish and French passports),[3] whilst ICAR estimates between 25,000 and 30,000 ethnic Algerians in the UK.[4] The UK is home to the fourth largest overseas Algerian population, behind the huge community in France and slightly behind the Algerian populations in Spain and Canada.[2]

Population distribution

Most Algerians in the UK can be found in the Greater London area - in particular Walthamstow, Edgware, Leyton and Finsbury Park (the latter of which has come to be commonly known as 'Little Algiers').[5] Besides the British capital, significant communities of Algerians reside in Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and Bournemouth.[5]

The National Association of British Arabs categorises Algeria-born immigrants as Arabs. Based on census data, it indicates that they are the fifth largest population of British Arabs by country of birth.[6]

Age and gender

A 2007 investigation by the International Organization for Migration found that the Algerian community in the UK in general was fairly young, close to half of all Algerians in the UK were projected to be under 40 years old.[5] As already explained, the Algerian community in the UK is a fairly small but fast emmerging ethnic group. The same IOM investigation suggested that out of all the Algerians living in the UK, 20% of them were registered in the 1991 UK Census and a further 30% in 2001 UK Census - with the remaining 50% having come during the first decade of the 21st century.[5] In terms of gender, the 2001 census showed that 71% of Algerians in the UK were male, whilst recent estimates have suggested the imbalance between males and females could be even greater. This is thought to be down to the fact that men without documents are more likely to reach the UK than women without documents.[5]

Asylum seekers

Algeria is a significant source of asylum seekers to the UK, most of these are law-abiding and peaceful citizens however over recent years numerous Algerian individuals residing in the UK have come to public attention largely due to their extremist views.[7] Algeria is by far the largest source of applications for asylum from Arab North Africa to the UK and alongside Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Sierra Leone as the African countries with the highest number of individuals applying for and receiving asylum rights in the UK.[8] Below is a table showing the number of Algerians who applied for asylum in the UK compared to the number who actually gained it (1998–2007).[8]

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Applications received 1,260 1,385 1,635 1,140 1,060 550 490 255 225 260
Applications accepted 310 475 65 65 20 5 10 5 0 0
Applications rejected 950 910 1,570 1,075 1,040 545 480 250 225 260
Percentage successful 25% 34% 4% 6% 2% 1% 2% 2% 0% 0%

Citizenship acquisition

Below is a table showing how many Algerians were granted British citizenship and the right of abode (1998–2007).

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Persons granted citizenship 332[9] 376[10] 629[11] 705[12] 1,345[13] 1,145[14] 1,255[15] 1,485[16] 1,015[17] 1,170[18]

Celebrities

References

  1. ^ a b c Collyer, Michael (May 2004). "Algerians in the UK". ICAR. Retrieved 18 September 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Country-of-birth database". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Archived from the original on 17 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-05. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Alderson, Andrew; Bamber, David; Willsher, Kim (2003-01-19). "The Algerian connection". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-05. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Algerian population in the UK". ICAR. Retrieved 2009-06-05. [dead link‍]
  5. ^ a b c d e "Algeria: Mapping Exercise" (PDF). London: International Organization for Migration. September 2007. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  6. ^ "REPORT ON THE 2011 CENSUS – MAY 2013 – Arabs and Arab League Population in the UK – Appendix 6 – Countries of Birth of UK Arabs". National Association of British Arabs. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  7. ^ Laville, Sandra (2003-01-17). "'100 known Algerian terrorists came to this country as asylum seekers'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  8. ^ a b "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007". Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  9. ^ Chilton, Tony; Kilsby, Peter (1999-04-20). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 1998" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  10. ^ Kilsby, Peter; McGregor, Rod (2000-06-08). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 1999" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  11. ^ Dudley, Jill; Harvey, Paul (2001-05-31). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2000" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  12. ^ Dudley, Jill; Hesketh, Krystina (2002-06-27). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2001" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  13. ^ Dudley, Jill; Woollacott, Simon (2003-08-28). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2002" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  14. ^ Dudley, Jill; Woollacott, Simon (2004-05-24). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2003" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  15. ^ Woollacott, Simon (2005-05-17). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2004" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  16. ^ Freelove Mensah, John (2006-05-23). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2005" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  17. ^ Freelove Mensah, John (2007-05-22). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2006" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  18. ^ Freelove Mensah, John (2008-05-20). "Persons Granted British Citizenship, United Kingdom, 2007" (PDF). Home Office. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
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